Sheffield Hallam Law Department Wins Top National Award

26th May 2017

Sheffield Hallam University's Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice (HKC) has been named Best Legal Education Provider of the Year.

The prestigious prize was presented at the Solicitors Journal Awards in front of more than 450 legal professionals. The Awards, which are split into 19 categories and decided by an influential judging panel of legal peers, recognise and celebrate excellence in legal practice in the UK. For this year's judges, the HKC stood above all other submissions thanks to its breadth of work, impressive testimonials, and extensive working relationship with over 40 local law firms and businesses. The award was presented to head of law at Sheffield Hallam, Professor Elizabeth Smart, and principal lecturer, Chris Riley, by former England rugby player and lawyer, Brian Moore. Sheffield Hallam's HKC, part of the University's law and criminology department, was officially opened by Baroness Helena Kennedy in 2015 and is host to a range of social justice and human rights activities including teaching, research, scholarships, international projects, policy review, professional training and advocacy. Sital Dhillon, director of the HKC and head of law and criminology at Sheffield Hallam, said: "We are delighted to have received this award in a highly competitive category. This is deserved recognition for our talented and hard-working team and especially pleasing to be acknowledged by such an esteemed panel of judges. "We are committed to providing our students with an education which is both academically excellent and highly relevant in the real world. The applied nature of our teaching and courses means our students are not only well versed in the law, but are also confident and ready to put their skills in to practice."